We’re not messing around here. With the building permit issued on a Thursday, we arranged for the demolition crew to start the following Monday.

But Lev just couldn’t wait–over the weekend he was determined to strip the overgrown pergola of years of accumulated vines and dead leaves. That’s him, on top of the damn thing, going to town with his loppers:

He got the job done in just a few hours–and without crashing through the rickety old wood slats.

But then the professionals took over. In just two days, they were able to strip the kitchen and both bathrooms down to the studs. Here are some shots of the demo in progress:

With one more day’s work, all the debris was hauled off. But not before I snapped some shots of my redneck front yard:

And then they dismantled the deck (unfortunately revealing the extensive dry-rot of the support structure underneath):

But hey, compared to the unpleasant (and expensive) surprises I encountered on the Scott Street project (new water service, new sewer line, new sidewalks), a little dry-rot doesn’t get me down!